The Alpine Village is a little slice of Bavaria transplanted right into the heart of sunny Southern California.

The home of the biggest Oktoberfest celebration in Southern California, The Alpine Village plays many roles, as part restaurant and bierhall, part event center, part nightclub, and part import food market. Needless to say, there is a lot to do, see and eat at The Alpine Village.

The restaurant and bierhall, dubbed the Alpine Village Inn, is truly a step back in time. Open six days a week for a casual dinner, stop by for some standard German fare – sausages, schnitzels, potatoes – and live entertainment on most nights. The highlight of the week is the Sunday Champagne Brunch, where you can sample the menu and create your own omelet for $20 while enjoying bottomless champagne.

What The Alpine Village is most known for is its annual Oktoberfest celebration. While it doesn’t exactly feel like you’re in Munich, the eight-week celebration has been going on for more than 45 years and was chosen by USA Today as one of the best Oktoberfests in the World. The bands are flown in from Germany, traditional German food is available and several types of beer from Warsteiner and Konig Ludwig are on tap.

You can even bring your own stein to drink out of! The party is loud and crowded, but that’s exactly what you should expect. What is lesser known is that The Alpine Village houses an authentic European bakery, a butcher shop making fine sausages and an import grocery featuring other imported products.

If you’re looking for anything German and authentic that you can’t find anywhere else, you will likely find it here. If you pay a visit to The Alpine Village, you will likely find yourself browsing one of the number of quaint little shops, where you will find much more than you would ever expect, from clocks and antiques to collectible children’s books.